Canine Prey Drive - Curtailing A Natural Instinct

By Nan Talleno

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - In all dogs, the prey drive is an extremely natural instinct since they are, by nature, natural hunters. But it's up to us to keep everyone safe. After all, dangers can lurk not only in the possible prey itself, such as resulting in your dog becoming bitten, by say a squirrel or a snake, but also the possible dangers in the quest, such as getting hit by a car, etc.

We need to redirect this natural desire and channel this energy into a more appropriate behavior. Therefore, refocus the need to hunt into a more playful activity.

Practice fun activities in your yard first or a place where there are no other animals present that could potentially initiate the prey drive. It's important to practice the "sit" and "stay" commands first. Once these are mastered, (be calm and patient as it can take time with different dogs, as every dog is different!) use a high-end treat such as a piece of chicken or steak to distract your dog's attention once potential "prey" is encountered. Call your dog to you and have him/her initially sniff the high-end treat. You may need to use what I refer to as a behavioral threshold to make sure your dog has mastered focus on you first before getting closer to any type of distraction.

Once your dog's attention is on you entirely, treat and reward. This can help turn the "hunt" mentality into "play" mentality and to stay focused on you instead.

Be patient and as always, have fun teaching your dog something new.